Cup clash holds key to James Tomkins’ dream Toon move

BIG Sam Allardyce will make a late decision on whether to play the heartbreaker at Hillsborough this afternoon.

The West Ham boss has to decide if defender James Tomkins will feature against Sheffield Wednesday []

The West Ham boss has to decide if defender James Tomkins will feature against Sheffield Wednesday and in so doing wreck his chances of a dream move to link up again with his old boss Alan Pardew at Newcastle.

Pardew has already had a £2.5million bid for Tomkins turned down by the Hammers, but is expected to up that to at least £3m.

But the deal will almost certainly be scuppered if Tomkins plays today and is cup-tied as a result.

Allardyce, who against his wishes let Scott Parker move to Tottenham last August, hinted that he may not do the same with Tomkins, unless Pardew comes back with a mega offer.

“There’s a price for every player, but we can’t afford to let our best players leave,” he said.

“I had to leave out Parker because all the Tottenham stuff was affecting him before his move to White Hart Lane. It was no good either for him or ourselves.

There’s a price for every player, but we can’t afford to let our best players leave

Sam Allardyce

‘‘But as far as James is concerned, he’s playing well, is at the right club for him and we want to keep him.

“It’s as simple as that.”

In the meantime, West Ham will face the proverbial banana skin this afternoon in front of a packed house of close on 40,000. Assistant manager Neil McDonald said: “The FA Cup is still a boyhood dream for everybody who plays football.

“It’s a memory you can keep for the rest of your life and to play in front of a big crowd and in the FA Cup is a great motivation.”